I have always loved this recipe which is based on one from Madhur Jaffrey’s book, An Introduction to Indian Cooking. It goes particularly well with grilled or roasted meat. This is one of the few dishes where I use the slicing disk of the food processor for very thin slices, but sometimes I cut them by hand into pea-sized rounds. As a shortcut, try using frozen (thawed) French-cut green beans, or even frozen whole beans cut into pea-sized lengths. This dish requires that the beans be cooked for a long time, to lose their crispness and absorb the flavors, I usually make a lot and freeze some for future use. It can also be made ahead and gently reheated before serving. The spice paste can be made in a blender or you can finely chop the onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger with a knife and blend with ground spices. I usually omit the red pepper flakes unless I know my guests will appreciate a touch of heat. Do not be alarmed by yellow turmeric stains on your dishes, it is not permanent and will come out in the dishwasher or can be removed with a little bleach. Be aware that turmeric stains can be difficult to remove from wooden cutting boards. Turmeric adds a nice color and a subtle earthy taste but is not essential to success.

This recipe will yield almost 4 cups of delicious beans.

4-8 tablespoons light oil or butter

1 1/2 pounds green beans, cleaned, trimmed and cut into slices as thin as the beans are thick (or thinner if using a food processor)

Put half of the oil in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat.Add the spice paste and cook gently, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, adding a few drops of water and reducing the heat if it starts to stick.Remove from heat and set aside.

In a 10-12 inch skillet or a wok, with a close fitting lid, heat the rest of the oil over high heat.When hot, add the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and red pepper.When the seeds start to pop (a few seconds), add all the sliced green beans and the spice paste.Stir and toss for about 5 minutes to thoroughly coat the green beans and heat them through.

Reduce the heat to low, add the lemon juice and salt, stir and cover.Cook over low heat until the beans are tender, about 30-40 minutes.If they start to stick, add a little water.Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

lessen the heat in the direction of low, add the lemon fruit drink and salt, stir and cover. Cook over low heat until the beans are tender, about 30-40 minutes. If they start to attach, add a little water. decorate with chop cilantro and serve up